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North Port will sell mineral springs stake

Warm Mineral Springs may be the most unusual tourist attraction in Sarasota
County. HT ARCHIVE / APRIL 2010

By CARRIE WELLS

Published: Wednesday, December 19, 2012 at 1:00 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, December 18, 2012 at 11:03 p.m.

NORTH PORT - After weeks of debate so contentious that one city commissioner once threatened to call the police on another, North Port voted to sell off its interest in Warm Mineral Springs on Tuesday.

The 3-2 vote signals another setback for a plan to develop the largest warm-water mineral spring in Florida and 81 acres of publicly owned land around it into what county officials hope will be an international tourist attraction.

Now the county will likely have to find another partner, or go it alone and buy North Port's share of the $5.5 million property. The city and county are equal partners.

Some county commissioners said they were shocked by North Port's move, although the two local governments have been haggling over the deal in recent weeks.

North Port Mayor Linda Yates, who has led criticism of the method of developing the springs into an eco-tourism destination, said her board had deadlocked without any consensus on how to move forward.

"I think it's time that we move on," Yates said. "It will do more harm and negativity for this to continue to be a battle."

The two boards had agreed this summer to proceed with plans to develop the springs and update its aging spa facility.

"I don't know where this will lead," County Commissioner Charles Hines said, adding that it seemed contrary to the original intent of buying the springs, which was to both develop it and ensure its preservation.

North Port Commissioner Tom Jones, who along with Jim Blucher voted against the motion to sell, said he was not prepared for Tuesday's action and criticized the three other city commissioners for not giving more notice to the public of their intentions.

"This was a shocker for me and for our whole community," Jones said. "I don't know what kind of reaction the county commission is going to have but I'm sure they were not prepared for this."

Jones disputed Yates' suggestion that the talks had deadlocked hopelessly.

"We have control over the springs now, the public does," he said. "We don't trust ourselves? That logic just doesn't follow."

Deadlocked

This summer, the two boards had agreed to proceed with the Warm Mineral Springs development by issuing an invitation to negotiate, a little-used method that gives developers a chance to put forth ideas with little direction from the government.

A committee of elected officials and other stakeholders would then negotiate with firms over their proposals in private.

But Yates and two newly elected North Port commissioners abruptly shot down the proposal to move forward in late November.

Yates said earlier discussions with the county had revolved around making the site into a giant park destination, like Yellowstone National Park.

But when city commissioners saw the draft of the agreement in November, she said, there seemed to be too much leeway for developers to propose something more commercial, such as a massive hotel, that could potentially hurt the health of the sensitive environmental site.

The health of springs across Florida is in question after recent state geological studies showing some had reversed or lost flow, and that the water in many springs is polluted. The last comprehensive study of Warm Mineral Springs was done a decade ago and predicted a reduced flow. A more recent study by the county found the temperature had dropped from the signature 87 degrees.

No county commissioners saw or were present at Tuesday's meeting. They said they needed time to review the tape of the meeting to see North Port's discussion.

But county officials maintained that keeping the land in public ownership, operated by a private developer, was the best option to protect the health of the springs and to make the site a better economic driver for North Port, a city hit hard by the housing market downturn.

"I think it put the protection and public access of the springs in question," County Commissioner Christine Robinson said of North Port's decision. Robinson said she was not in favor of selling the springs off entirely, but was unsure how other county commissioners felt.

Future uncertainties

Yates said the county commission likely has a few options, as the two governments share ownership equally.

The county can decide to buy North Port's share of the ownership, the county can agree to sell the springs to a private developer, or some kind of hybrid agreement can be reached, Yates said.

Robinson said she is worried because an agreement made with a vendor to operate the spa, put in place after the governments jointly bought the springs in 2010, expires in about six months.

"We have to have something done with it by June," Robinson said. "We can't extend the current contract."

County Commissioner Joe Barbetta was similarly unhappy with North Port's decision.

"Not a great day for North Port," he said.

The issue of how to move forward has not been an easy one in recent weeks.

At a marathon meeting last week, tempers erupted and Yates threatened to have Jones removed by police.

The meeting was eventually able to come back to order.

Yet no agreement over how to proceed could be reached. Yates said she was not happy with the idea of selling, but that if the site were to get development on the scale she believes county commissioners want, at least it should be back on the property tax rolls.

"At some point you have to agree to disagree and move on," Yates said. "It's very, very sad, in my opinion, that the original perception that was given to the public is not being followed through. It could have been a great thing."

<p><em>NORTH PORT</em> - After weeks of debate so contentious that one city commissioner once threatened to call the police on another, North Port voted to sell off its interest in Warm Mineral Springs on Tuesday.</p><p>The 3-2 vote signals another setback for a plan to develop the largest warm-water mineral spring in Florida and 81 acres of publicly owned land around it into what county officials hope will be an international tourist attraction.</p><p>Now the county will likely have to find another partner, or go it alone and buy North Port's share of the $5.5 million property. The city and county are equal partners.</p><p>Some county commissioners said they were shocked by North Port's move, although the two local governments have been haggling over the deal in recent weeks.</p><p>North Port Mayor Linda Yates, who has led criticism of the method of developing the springs into an eco-tourism destination, said her board had deadlocked without any consensus on how to move forward.</p><p>"I think it's time that we move on," Yates said. "It will do more harm and negativity for this to continue to be a battle."</p><p>The two boards had agreed this summer to proceed with plans to develop the springs and update its aging spa facility.</p><p>"I don't know where this will lead," County Commissioner Charles Hines said, adding that it seemed contrary to the original intent of buying the springs, which was to both develop it and ensure its preservation.</p><p>North Port Commissioner Tom Jones, who along with Jim Blucher voted against the motion to sell, said he was not prepared for Tuesday's action and criticized the three other city commissioners for not giving more notice to the public of their intentions.</p><p>"This was a shocker for me and for our whole community," Jones said. "I don't know what kind of reaction the county commission is going to have but I'm sure they were not prepared for this."</p><p>Jones disputed Yates' suggestion that the talks had deadlocked hopelessly.</p><p>"We have control over the springs now, the public does," he said. "We don't trust ourselves? That logic just doesn't follow."</p><p>Deadlocked</p><p>This summer, the two boards had agreed to proceed with the Warm Mineral Springs development by issuing an invitation to negotiate, a little-used method that gives developers a chance to put forth ideas with little direction from the government.</p><p>A committee of elected officials and other stakeholders would then negotiate with firms over their proposals in private.</p><p>But Yates and two newly elected North Port commissioners abruptly shot down the proposal to move forward in late November.</p><p>Yates said earlier discussions with the county had revolved around making the site into a giant park destination, like Yellowstone National Park.</p><p>But when city commissioners saw the draft of the agreement in November, she said, there seemed to be too much leeway for developers to propose something more commercial, such as a massive hotel, that could potentially hurt the health of the sensitive environmental site.</p><p>The health of springs across Florida is in question after recent state geological studies showing some had reversed or lost flow, and that the water in many springs is polluted. The last comprehensive study of Warm Mineral Springs was done a decade ago and predicted a reduced flow. A more recent study by the county found the temperature had dropped from the signature 87 degrees.</p><p>No county commissioners saw or were present at Tuesday's meeting. They said they needed time to review the tape of the meeting to see North Port's discussion.</p><p>But county officials maintained that keeping the land in public ownership, operated by a private developer, was the best option to protect the health of the springs and to make the site a better economic driver for North Port, a city hit hard by the housing market downturn.</p><p>"I think it put the protection and public access of the springs in question," County Commissioner Christine Robinson said of North Port's decision. Robinson said she was not in favor of selling the springs off entirely, but was unsure how other county commissioners felt.</p><p>Future uncertainties</p><p>Yates said the county commission likely has a few options, as the two governments share ownership equally.</p><p>The county can decide to buy North Port's share of the ownership, the county can agree to sell the springs to a private developer, or some kind of hybrid agreement can be reached, Yates said.</p><p>Robinson said she is worried because an agreement made with a vendor to operate the spa, put in place after the governments jointly bought the springs in 2010, expires in about six months.</p><p>"We have to have something done with it by June," Robinson said. "We can't extend the current contract."</p><p>County Commissioner Joe Barbetta was similarly unhappy with North Port's decision.</p><p>"Not a great day for North Port," he said.</p><p>The issue of how to move forward has not been an easy one in recent weeks.</p><p>At a marathon meeting last week, tempers erupted and Yates threatened to have Jones removed by police.</p><p>The meeting was eventually able to come back to order.</p><p>Yet no agreement over how to proceed could be reached. Yates said she was not happy with the idea of selling, but that if the site were to get development on the scale she believes county commissioners want, at least it should be back on the property tax rolls.</p><p>"At some point you have to agree to disagree and move on," Yates said. "It's very, very sad, in my opinion, that the original perception that was given to the public is not being followed through. It could have been a great thing."</p><p>Staff writer Jeremy Wallace contributed to this report.</p>